My job as Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library has been a learning experience over the past four years. I’ve seen myriad changes and challenges during this time, but I’m excited about where we are with training in my organization, and eagerly look forward to the road ahead.

As a staff member of five years before assuming my current job as Training Manager, I witnessed firsthand how the library always placed a premium on developing staff. We had a magnificent in-house trainer, a well-endowed training budget to support external continuing education opportunities, a robust tuition reimbursement program geared toward growing our future librarians, and a culture that fostered learning. However, when I took the job, I knew that our existing model of mostly face-to-face learning was unsustainable. We were adding new buildings, more staff, and with gas prices on the rise post-Katrina, the cost of having staff constantly traveling for training — between branches, externally for seminars, and the cost of time away from the job — was straining the budget.

My primary focus since 2007 has been transitioning GCPL away from a mostly classroom-based training model to a blended learning approach that leverages e-learning and the classroom. Since 2008, we now offer about 90% of learning opportunities online, which may seem high for some, but it works for the current financial reality of my library. This is not to say, however, that GCPL has abandoned live training. We’re simply being more thoughtful about how we use it. Below I’ll explain the breakdown of our blend.

Self-Paced E-Learning
GCPL uses a learning management system from GeoLearning, which we refer to as the Playbook. The Playbook contains a catalog of roughly 300 courses from Skillsoft, which cover a range of soft and technical skills. I also regularly add to the catalog library-specific webinar archives and custom e-learning courses that I create specifically for my library. Now have about 450 total self-paced courses to fit a variety of learning needs for staff at all levels of the organization. Since the training is asynchronous, staff members can start and stop as their schedules permit. This form of learning is primarily used to meet continuing education goals, but is also used to meet other organizational training needs.

Self-paced e-learning at GCPL is often used for continuing education, but I author some courses internally to meet specific training needs.

Live, Virtual Classroom
A subscription to Webex’s Training Center is also bundled into the library’s LMS. We use Webex in a variety of ways. First, we offer webinars on general topics on a regularly scheduled basis as another method for providing continuing ed. We also use Webex occasionally during new hire training and gear the presentation style for classroom interaction, rather than a presentation where everyone just sits in and listen. Finally, we’ve begun using Webex for open Q&A sessions to provide just in time training.

Webex has a variety of uses. A new way that GCPL is utilizing Webex is for open Q&A sessions where staff can ask a SME (subject matter expect) anything relating to a predefined topic.

Classroom
GCPL employs approximately 300 people, and we realize that having large numbers of staff traveling between branches for training can be costly. However, there will be times, such as new hire training or when a strategic initiative is implemented, where live, instructor-led training is the best delivery method for meeting the need. In these instances, classroom-based training will be led by me and/or other members of our in-house Training Team, which consists of eight professional librarians who are experienced presenters and have completed portions of Bob Pike’s Train the Trainer Boot Camp. This ensures that staff receives the best possible learning experience from knowledgeable professionals.

External Conferences and Seminars
The new financial landscape has resulted in budget cuts throughout the library system, and funds for training and travel are no exception. In fact, money allocated for staff to attend local seminars is about one fifth the size of what was just three years ago. While we are currently able to continue supporting external learning opportunities, we have to be more conscious of who attends and their reasons for wanting to attend. Staff members who want to go to an external event must submit a Staff Development Approval Request, which must fit into the employee’s goals, and also receive approval through the supervisory chain.

On the Job Training
GCPL is fortunate to have, on average, two licensed and degreed librarians at each branch. These Public Services Librarians, under supervision of the branch’s managers, are responsible for delivering the on the job training that helps staff members excel (and survive!) in their daily work. The PSLs submit a monthly summary of their OJT activities to me, so that I’m attuned to the learning needs of the branches.

Implementing a blended approach has been a bona fide learning experience for me and the staff of Gwinnett County Public Library. Change can be simultaneously exciting, difficult, and necessary. I am blessed that the staff here have largely embraced the change and are thriving in our new approach to organizational learning.

Jay Turner

Jay Turner, Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia, is responsible for all aspects of learning and development for a staff of 300+ employees. He considers himself a lifelong student, and delights in sharing his passion for learning with anyone willing to listen (much to their chagrin!) He is a library lifer, who began working in libraries as a teen and has worn almost every conceivable public services hat since. Jay’s diversity of experience helps him develop and deliver solutions that are creative, practical, and effective. He is a self-proclaimed information and tech junkie, who gets his fix by playing in his “digital sandbox” with new tools and neat ideas to make learning more accessible, more flexible, and more fun across any medium. He can be reached at jayturner[at]comcast.net.